Written Answers Thursday 17 November 2005

Scottish Executive

Asylum Seekers

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest date is by which it expects to have a formal written protocol in place with the Home Office with regard to the role of Scottish children’s services in future removals of asylum seeker families with children.

Robert Brown: Discussions with the Home Office are being taken forward as a matter of urgency. These are complex matters and the work will be completed as quickly as possible.

Autism

Alex Fergusson (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made to ensure that people with conditions such as Asperger’s Syndrome are given the required level of support to enable them to access tertiary education.

Nicol Stephen: The Executive is committed to ensuring that individuals with complex additional support needs wherever possible have the same opportunities to access further and higher education as other students.

Birds

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider giving local authorities the power in legislation to require owners or occupiers of land to take action to prevent seagulls from nesting, or to remove or destroy their eggs, in locations where seagulls are a significant nuisance.

Rhona Brankin: Local authorities already have the powers, expertise and knowledge within their environmental health responsibilities to deal with the nuisance caused by seagulls. In addition, the Scottish Executive already issues General Licences to all local authorities to enable them to take action against Great Black-backed gulls, Lesser Black-backed gulls and Herring gulls in specified circumstances and for other gull species, individual licences can be sought from the Scottish Executive.

  The Scottish Executive is considering the findings and recommendations of a research project - Review of Urban Gulls and their Management in Scotland – completed for the Executive by BTO Scotland and the Centre for Conservation Science at the University of Stirling. My officials have met with Scotland’s local authorities to gauge the extent of the problems posed by nesting seagulls in urban areas, and have discussed both practical solutions they can use and whether additional legal powers are required to allow new measures to be introduced.

  This research work is intended to provide a basis for new guidance to local authorities on best practice measures and I expect the findings to be published early in 2006.

Bridges

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the most recent calculation is of the surplus of tolls collected above the cost of maintaining the Erskine Bridge since the commencement of tolling.

Tavish Scott: The Erskine Bridge Accounts 2003-04 showed that there was an accumulated surplus on the Operating Account of £19,741,862 at 31 March 2004. A copy of the accounts is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 34771).

Bridges

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it agrees with the Scottish Council for Development and Industry’s view that making the Erskine Bridge toll-free would boost the west of Scotland economy by reducing business costs and getting people to work and goods to market more quickly.

Tavish Scott: In its response to the public consultation paper on the Tolled Bridges Review Phase Two earlier this year, and in a related press release on 25 July, the Scottish Council for Development and Industry called for the abolition of tolls at all three of Scotland’s tolled bridges. We are taking these views and many others into account in considering the findings of the review.

Bridges

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the assessment by West Dunbartonshire Council that removal of the tolls on the Erskine Bridge would create 100 jobs and provide a significant boost to the economic development of West Dunbartonshire.

Tavish Scott: We are aware that the Leader of West Dunbartonshire Council made a statement to this effect in evidence to the Parliament’s Public Petitions Committee on 28 June 2005 (PE869 - Erskine Bridge (Tolls)). However, we have not seen any evidence to support this claim.

Bridges

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-5889 by Nicol Stephen on 12 February 2004, which of the companies listed are subject to current contracts for the provision of services in relation to the Erskine Bridge.

Tavish Scott: The information requested is as follows:

  Alliance and Leicester Commercial Bank

  Amey Highways

  APCOA Parking UK Ltd

  Astron Document Services

  Audit Scotland

  C Spencer Ltd

  Data Controls

  The Post Office (ends 25 November 2005).

Bridges

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the results of the second phase of the Tolled Bridges Review.

Tavish Scott: We are considering the findings of the Tolled Bridges Review Phase Two and will announce our decisions on the outcomes in due course.

Building Standards

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how it is monitoring the progress of the implementation by local authorities of their obligations under the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004.

Johann Lamont: I have asked Dr Paul Stollard, Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), to answer. His response is as follows:

  Local authorities, appointed as verifiers under Section 7 of the Building (Scotland) Act 2003, are responsible for the enforcement of the Building (Scotland) Regulations 2004. During the period of their appointment, the authorities will be audited by the SBSA on their performance and we are currently finalising the audit process and timetable in conjunction with the Scottish Association of Building Standards Managers.

Cancer

Mike Pringle (Edinburgh South) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will retain cancer services at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh.

Mr Andy Kerr: I want to assure people that nowhere in the advice given to me has the suggestion been made that the children’s cancer unit at the Sick Kids hospital in Edinburgh should be closed.

Cancer

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting times have been for cancer patients from (a) diagnosis and (b) urgent GP referral to start of treatment in each of the last 12 quarters.

Mr Andy Kerr: The average is affected disproportionately by a small number of waits that may be clinically appropriate. As NHS Scotland makes progress towards meeting the Executive’s waiting time targets and treats more patients who have had longer waits, median waiting times will rise

  This can be demonstrated from the information in Table 1. in Q2 2002 the median wait was 18 days and 73% of patients were treated within one month of diagnosis; in Q1 2005 the median wait was 20 days and 81% of patients were treated within one month of diagnosis.

  (a) Diagnosis to Start of Treatment

  Breast Cancer

  Information is collated centrally to report performance against the Scottish Executive target that by October 2001, women who have breast cancer and are referred for urgent treatment will begin that treatment within one month of diagnosis, where clinically appropriate.

  Table 1:

  

 Period of Diagnosis
 Median Wait (Days)


 Q2 2002
 18


 Q3 2002
 16


 Q4 2002
 16


 Q1 2003 
 16


 Q2 2003
 20


 Q3 2003
 20


 Q4 2003
 22


 Q1 2004
 18


 Q2 2004
 20


 Q3 2004
 20


 Q4 2004
 21


 Q1 2005
 20



  Other Cancers

  New systems were put in place from Q4 2004 to monitor compliance against the national cancer waiting times target that by the end of December 2005 the maximum wait from urgent referral to treatment for all cancers will be two months. These systems are being developed to include different types of cancer.

  Table 2:

  

 Period of Diagnosis
 Median Wait (Days)


 Q4 2004
 19


 Q1 2005
 17



  Note: Q4 2004 includes colorectal, lung and ovarian cancers initially (and from Q1 2005 also includes melanoma).

  (b) Urgent Referral to Start of Treatment

  Table 3: 

  

 Period of Referral
 Median Wait (Days)


 Q4 2004
 41


 Q1 2005
 41



  Note: Q4 2004 includes breast, colorectal, lung and ovarian cancers initially (and from Q1 2005 also includes melanoma).

Education

Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-16781 by Peter Peacock on 2 June 2005, which schools took part in the OECD’s "PISA 2003" survey, broken down by (a) local authority area and (b) sector.

Peter Peacock: It is not our policy to make public the identity of individuals and organisations that take part in Scottish Executive commissioned research. This is to ensure that responses can not be directly attributed to individuals and to encourage individuals and organisations to participate in research. When schools agreed to participate in the OECD’s PISA 2003 study they were given a written assurance of anonymity: "We take great care to preserve the anonymity of schools that take part in these studies and will not disclose their identity to anyone outwith those involved in the research and your Education Authority".

Energy Efficiency

Iain Smith (North East Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to address the environmental impact of energy wastage from household appliances and whether this issue will be addressed in the energy efficiency strategy.

Ross Finnie: Energy wastage from household appliances will not be covered directly in the Energy Efficiency Strategy as regulation of appliance efficiency is reserved to the UK Government. The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs deals with this under its Market Transformation Programme which aims to achieve sustainable improvements in the resource efficiency of products.

  The Executive provides grant funding to the Energy Saving Trust in Scotland to deliver a range of programmes and advice to promote energy efficiency in the domestic sector. This includes the use by UK electrical retailers of the "energy efficiency recommended" logo which promotes energy efficient appliances.

Environment

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s proposal to increase the cost of sheep dip permits from £180 to £542 is justified and, if not, what action it will take on this matter.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has put forward proposals for a charging scheme in relation to authorisations under the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2005. These proposals are intended to enable the agency to recover its regulatory costs in line with the "polluter pays" principle.

  The proposed charging scheme is currently out to public consultation. The Executive will review all responses to the consultation before deciding whether to approve the proposed charges.

Environment

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will invite the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to provide a breakdown of the computation of its costs, if SEPA considers that the need to recover its costs is the reason for its proposal to increase the cost of sheep dip permits from £180 to £542.

Rhona Brankin: The Executive has already received SEPA’s costings which form the basis of the agency’s proposal to increase application charges for authorisations under the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2005.

Environment

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Environment Protection Agency is required to meet efficiency targets and, if so, what these targets are and what savings will be achieved by meeting such targets.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is required to deliver efficiency savings as part of the Scottish Executive’s Efficient Government programme. SEPA is required to achieve £2 million of annually recurring cash releasing savings and annually recurring time releasing savings worth £2 million by 2007-08. This represents 6% of SEPAs projected 2007-08 budget.

Environment

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) can save money by its approach to raising legal actions and whether SEPA believes that all such actions have been necessary.

Rhona Brankin: SEPA has a duty to consider the costs and benefits of its activities, including the pursuit of enforcement against any breach of an environmental licence. In considering the appropriate enforcement action to pursue, SEPA takes account of the scale of environmental impact, the attitude and response of the person responsible and the history of the activity or site. This approach to enforcement is in line with the principles of the Cabinet Office’s Enforcement Concordat, published in 1998.

Environment

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has a policy of seeking an award of its legal expenses in successful legal actions or whether it forfeits or forgoes such expenses.

Rhona Brankin: This is an operational matter for SEPA. I have asked Dr Campbell Gemmell, Chief Executive of SEPA, to respond to the question direct.

Environment

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will undertake a study into the impact of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and its operations on the rural economy.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive undertook a Policy and Financial Management Review of SEPA, which reported in 2003. That study investigated the impact of SEPA’s operations and specifically sought the views of organisations regulated by SEPA, including those in rural areas.

  The Executive has no plans to undertake any further study into the impact of SEPA’s operations on the rural economy.

Environment

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to improve the environment of the coastline.

Ross Finnie: The Executive announced on 12 September 2005, a new Marine and Coastal strategy for the long-term sustainability of Scotland’s coasts and seas. Seas the Opportunity sets out a clear vision for our coasts and seas, underpinned by high-level objectives and specific action focused targets aimed at improving and sustaining Scotland’s marine and coastal environments, including the promotion of Integrated Coastal Zone Management.

  The Executive also fund and support, with partner organisations, the Scottish Coastal Forum which was set up to support the local coastal partnerships in many areas around Scotland.

Environment

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with local authorities on improving the coastline.

Ross Finnie: The Executive fully involved local authorities in the consultative process towards the recently published Coastal and Marine strategy for Scotland. Local authorities are represented by COSLA on the Advisory Group on the Marine and Coastal strategy which will take the strategy forward and help to determine how best to put the objectives and outcomes of the strategy into practice nationally and locally. Local authorities are also involved in the Executive’s Sustainable Marine Initiative which is piloting new ways of managing marine and coastal activity in three locations around Scotland’s coast.

  In addition, the Scottish Executive supports the Scottish Coastal Forum (SCF) which works with COSLA to find ways of improving the coastline and managing the resources sustainably. The SCF is currently assessing the views of the local authorities to find common objectives and then aims to develop guidance on delivery of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) for local authorities, in partnership with local authority representatives. Stage one of this will be a report on a framework and hierarchy for ICZM in Scotland currently being produced by a sub group of the SCF which is due to be completed in February 2006.

Environment

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in achieving greater co-ordination between local and national organisations to improve the quality of the coastal environment.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive have formed an Advisory Group on the Marine and Coastal strategy which is comprised of representatives from national industry bodies, national stakeholder bodies, environmental NGOs and relevant regulatory agencies. The group will ensure that local interests are nonetheless indirectly engaged with the work of the advisory group through existing networks and local fora.

  The Scottish Coastal Forum (SCF) has also been working with the local coastal partnerships around Scotland in order to improve the relationship between national and local levels in Integrated Coastal Zone Management. The Chairman of the Solway Firth Partnership represents the local partnerships on the SCF, and the SCF project officer attends regular meetings with all local coastal partnerships to provide information and guidance.

  Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) manage, on behalf of the Executive, over 250 coastal sites aimed at environmental and species protection in partnership with local organisations and authorities. Through this programme SNH have enabled local authorities to have exclusive statutory powers to set up and manage Local Nature Reserves.

Environment

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to address vehicle exhaust fume-related air pollution in Glasgow city centre and around the Clyde Tunnel.

Tavish Scott: Regulations have been in place since April 2003 enabling local authorities to undertake roadside exhaust emissions testing and to issue fixed penalty notices where prescribed standards are not met. The regulations also allow fixed penalties to be issued to drivers who allow their vehicle engines to run unnecessarily while parked.

  Glasgow City Council is one of the authorities making use of these powers.

Ferry Services

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has discussed the prospect of creating a Users Charter with any current or potential ferry operators and, if so, which operators were involved and when the discussions took place.

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Minister for Transport and Telecommunications and/or any previous Ministers for Transport have ever expressed a view that a Users Charter, signed by Western Ferries guaranteeing fares and levels of services on the Gourock-Dunoon route, would be a legally binding document and, if so, when, to whom, and in what context such a view was expressed.

Tavish Scott: Proposals for a Users Charter relating to the services provided by Western Ferries between Inverclyde and Cowal were submitted to the Scottish Executive and Argyll and Bute Council by Western Ferries in 2004 and were the subject of subsequent discussions. These discussions were overtaken by the Executive’s announcement, on 8 December 2004, that it proposed to seek an operator willing to provide a service between Gourock Pier and Dunoon Pier on a commercial basis. The Users Charter proposal was not developed to the stage where it was possible or necessary to assess whether such a document would be legally binding. However, in principle, there is no reason why an arrangement of the type proposed should not be legally binding.

Fisheries

Campbell Martin (West of Scotland) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it accepts the statement by Dr Steven Gaines, Director or University of California’s Santa Barbara’s Marine Science Institute that "there are virtually no exceptions to the fact that all (no-take zones) have the exact same result: Where the average abundance (of marine species) goes up, the average size goes up, and the numbers of species goes up" and that fishermen would benefit from the spill over of species into unprotected areas and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.

Ross Finnie: The success of no-take zones (NTZs) is critically dependent on the mobility of the species that live within the zone and how fishing effort is displaced from the zone. Where species remain in the NTZ for most of their lives and fishing effort is removed from it, then there are usually benefits of the kind described by Dr Gaines. Typically such NTZs are successful in tropical reef systems where organisms are site specific. Where species are highly mobile and migrate freely through the zone, NTZs offer little or no protection. This is a common occurrence in temperate systems typical in Scottish waters and applies to most of our principal commercial fish species. Furthermore, where fishing effort is displaced from a NTZ, fishing activity may be aggregated on the margins of the zone and can actually cause additional damage through excess concentration of effort that may outweigh the benefits within the NTZ.

  The Scottish Executive has indicated in its Sustainable Framework for Scottish Sea Fisheries that it believes there is a place for area based closures and restrictions in the management of fisheries. Such closures and restrictions will need to take into account the biology of the fish they are intended to protect and the activity of fishing vessels affected.

Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in its review of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, it will consider whether the act can be extended to cover charities such as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), insofar as the RSPB receives public funding in respect of some of its activities.

Ms Margaret Curran: The review, and associated public consultation, will consider a number of aspects of the operation of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, including the criteria that should be applied in order to designate Scottish public authorities under section 5 of the act. It would not be appropriate for me to prejudge the outcome of the consultation and the review by commenting now on the position of specific organisations.

Gaelic

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has held any discussions with the UK Government, during its Presidency of the European Union, to enable Gaelic to be used in correspondence with certain EU institutions and, if so, when such discussions took place and what the outcome was.

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to promote Gaelic in the European Union (EU) with a view to enabling it to achieve a status similar to that of Catalan, Galician and Basque following the agreement between Spain and the EU.

Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive is committed to the promotion of Gaelic and securing its status in a wide range of contexts in Scotland. The decision to allow Gaelic to be recognised and used in correspondence with EU institutions is a matter for the UK government and we understand that the UK government has no current plans to change the existing language provisions for UK languages. There have not been formal discussions during the UK presidency of the EU between the Scottish Executive and the UK government on this matter.

H5N1 Influenza

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what training and protection will be afforded to workers carrying out emergency culls, in the event of an outbreak of avian influenza.

Ross Finnie: Contact with infected birds will be minimised and only specialised personnel will be allowed to come into contact with them. All such workers will be required to wear personal protective equipment and will also receive appropriate public health support from Health Protection Scotland and the local consultant in public health medicine.

H5N1 Influenza

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how bird carcases will be transported; who will transport them, and what training and protection will be given, in the event of an outbreak of avian influenza.

Ross Finnie: Bird carcasses will be moved in bio-secure vehicles meeting the specific requirements of the State Veterinary Service. Call-off contracts are in place to provide this transport and all haulage workers who come into proximity with infected birds will be expected to wear appropriate personal protective equipment.

H5N1 Influenza

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, in the event of an outbreak of avian influenza and the subsequent incineration of carcases, who will carry out the incineration and what training and protection they will be given.

Ross Finnie: Incineration is the preferred disposal route for infected carcasses. A number of contracts are in place with the State Veterinary Service to provide this resource across Great Britain. The decision as to which incineration plants would be used would depend on the size and location of any avian influenza outbreak. A full biosecurity inspection of the plant would be conducted before any incineration was started and all workers involved in the process would be expected to wear personal protective equipment. They would also receive appropriate support from the public health authorities.

H5N1 Influenza

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, in the event of an outbreak of avian influenza and subsequent landfilling of the carcases, who will carry out the landfilling and what training and protection they will receive.

Ross Finnie: Licensed landfill is a possible disposal route for infected carcasses but would only be used where commercial incineration and rendering was not available. Where landfill needed to be used the operation would be undertaken under the supervision of the State Veterinary Service and all those coming in to proximity with infected carcasses would be expected to wear appropriate personal protective equipment.

H5N1 Influenza

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, in the event of an outbreak of avian influenza and subsequent landfilling of carcases, where the landfilling will take place and what protection will be afforded to members of the public.

Ross Finnie: Licensed landfill will only be used where incineration and rendering capacity is unavailable. Which sites are used would depend on the size and location of any outbreak of avian influenza.

  Whilst on rare occasions avian influenza can pass to humans it requires very close contact with infected birds. As such the use of licensed landfill is unlikely to pose a risk to the public but the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the local consultant public health medicine will be involved in any decision to use individual landfill sites. However, it is recognised that the local public may be concerned at the use of local landfill and the Executive will engage fully with the local community.

H5N1 Influenza

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures will be put in place to safeguard jobs in poultry farm units and the poultry processing sector, in the event of an outbreak of avian influenza.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Avian Influenza Contingency Plan sets out the measures we will take into any confirmed outbreak of Avian Influenza in Scotland. The response will eradicate the disease as quickly as possible, minimising its impact and through this supporting the continuing sustainability of the Scottish poultry industry.

Health

Mr Frank McAveety (Glasgow Shettleston) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action and initiatives it is undertaking to address high levels of heart disease prevalent in constituencies such as Glasgow Shettleston.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Executive is deeply concerned by the high levels of heart disease and other long-term conditions in areas of deprivation. We have set a target to reduce premature mortality from chronic heart disease by 27% over the next five years in the most deprived communities.

  Our recent document, Delivering for Health, sets out our plans to develop anticipatory care. This will ensure that people at greatest risk of ill health are actively identified and offered opportunities for early detection, advice and treatment. Strengthening primary care services in these communities can reduce premature mortality through preventative medicine, changing the focus to "anticipate and prevent".

Health

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive in how many deaths malnutrition was recorded as a cause in each of the last 10 years, broken down by (a) age and (b) NHS board.

George Lyon: The information requested is given in the following table which covers all deaths where malnutrition was recorded on the death certificate. Malnutrition was selected as the underlying cause of death for some 15% of these cases.

  Deaths in Scotland Where Malnutrition1 was Recorded on the Death Certificate

  

 
 1995
 1996
 1997
 1998
 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004


 (a) by age group
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 All ages
 40
 73
 55
 65
 75
 79
 86
 96
 81
 99


<15
 -
 1
 -
 -
 -
 1
 -
 -
 -
 -


 15-29
 1
 1
 1
 -
 2
 -
 1
 -
 3
 1


 30-44
 -
 3
 4
 -
 3
 5
 1
 2
 6
 5


 45-59
 4
 4
 8
 9
 5
 2
 12
 16
 15
 14


 60-74
 9
 26
 20
 16
 25
 26
 27
 25
 25
 38


 75+
 26
 38
 22
 40
 40
 45
 45
 53
 32
 41


 (b) by NHS Board Area
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 Argyll and Clyde
 1
 6
 5
 2
 4
 4
 6
 6
 7
 11


 Ayrshire and Arran
 4
 8
 6
 5
 4
 10
 8
 7
 4
 6


 Borders
 -
 2
 2
 -
 3
 2
 3
 3
 4
 3


 Dumfries and Galloway
 1
 -
 -
 1
 2
 2
 -
 1
 2
 3


 Fife
 2
 6
 5
 6
 4
 1
 7
 3
 8
 5


 Forth Valley
 1
 2
 1
 4
 4
 6
 1
 7
 6
 5


 Grampian
 -
 3
 6
 5
 4
 7
 9
 5
 6
 4


 Greater Glasgow
 16
 20
 8
 13
 16
 27
 13
 19
 15
 21


 Highland
 3
 1
 1
 7
 3
 2
 2
 2
 1
 5


 Lanarkshire
 3
 7
 6
 2
 6
 2
 4
 7
 6
 11


 Lothian
 6
 7
 8
 11
 17
 8
 21
 22
 14
 15


 Orkney
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 1


 Shetland
 -
 1
 -
 1
 -
 1
 1
 2
 1
 1


 Tayside
 3
 10
 7
 7
 7
 7
 11
 12
 6
 8


 Western Isles
 -
 -
 -
 1
 1
 -
 -
 -
 1
 -



  Source: 1995-99: Ninth revision (ICD9), codes 260 – 263.

  2000-04: Tenth revision (ICD10), codes E40 - E46..

  Notes:

  1. International classification of diseases:

Health

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many secondary school-age children suffered from (a) high cholesterol levels, (b) heart failure and (c) diabetes in each year since 1995, broken down by NHS board area.

Mr Andy Kerr: This information is not held centrally.

Health

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that fewer people die this winter from cold-related illnesses than in previous years, despite the forecast of a particularly harsh winter.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive is taking action on a number of fronts.

  The Chief Medical Officer will issue guidance to older people to keep warm, use the winter fuel payment to ensure their homes are adequately heated and to wear sufficient warm clothing when they go outside. He will also remind neighbours, relatives and carers to check up regularly on older people during cold weather.

  The Scottish Executive supports an annual influenza vaccination campaign to vaccinate those aged 65 and over and those in risk groups under 65. This campaign includes a central information letter which is sent to all those aged 65 and over across Scotland reminding them that they are eligible for free flu immunisation.

  In addition, the Executive’s central heating and Warm Deal programmes provide free central heating for pensioners who have none or whose system is irretrievably broken; to those over 80 whose systems are partial or inefficient, and insulation measures for all pensioners. The central heating programme also provides energy efficiency advice on keeping warm and keeping bills down, and the offer of a benefits health check to ensure that people are claiming all the benefits to which they are entitled.

Health

Alex Fergusson (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when enhanced external counterpulsation treatment will be available for suitable heart patients on the NHS.

Mr Andy Kerr: Enhanced External Counter Pulsation Therapy (EECP) is not currently available in Scotland. It is for NHS boards to decide whether to offer the procedure.

  The Interventional Procedures Programme of National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is currently considering EECP and will issue a consultation document shortly about its safety and efficacy. Their final report is expected in spring 2006. This will not require NHS boards to introduce EECP, but will specify the appropriate level of service and safety if they do choose to provide it.

Hospital-Acquired infection

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions have taken place with NHS boards concerning the efficacy of the measures taken in hospitals in the last year to eradicate MRSA.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Ministerial Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) Task Force is nearing completion of a three-year programme of work to improve prevention and control of HAI (of which MRSA is an important element). It is a multi-disciplinary group including several representatives from key areas in health (e.g. NHS boards, clinical staff, infection control experts, cleaning staff) and lay members. NHS boards have confirmed that alcohol handrub was made available at every frontline bed by April 2005. I launched a tool to monitor compliance with cleaning standards on 14 November. Guidelines for prudent prescribing of antibiotics were launched in September 2005, and arrangements for monitoring the effectiveness of this guidance will be overseen by the Antimicrobial resistance strategy working group.

  The HAI Task Force is embarking on a new programme of work focusing on implementation and delivery which will involve extensive and continuing discussions with NHS boards.

  Earlier this year, NHS boards’ performance on tackling HAIs was discussed at the Annual Accountability Reviews, which I chaired. Each board provided an update on HAI issues, including discussions on their compliance with infection control standards, their infection control programme for 2005, infection control training and the monitoring of health care cleanliness.

  The overall measure of effectiveness in MRSA control is the quarterly report on mandatory surveillance of MRSA blood infections. These rates show that MRSA rates have now stabilised. We will continue to work with NHS boards to drive these rates down.

Justice

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether all experts within the Scottish Fingerprint Service agree that fingerprint identification is a matter of opinion and not of fact.

Cathy Jamieson: All experts within the Scottish Fingerprint Service agree that fingerprint evidence is expert opinion of identification based on the scientific fact that fingerprints are unique to every individual.

Justice

Colin Fox (Lothians) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that comments by former Lord Advocate, Lord Fraser of Carmyllie, about the Lockerbie bombing case regarding the credibility of key prosecution witness, Mr Tony Gauci, should be passed to the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission.

Colin Boyd QC: The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission is an executive Non-Departmental Public Body and operates, in reviewing and investigating a conviction, independently of the Scottish Executive. It is a matter for the commission to determine what material it should consider, but the remarks attributed to Lord Fraser in the press and Lord Fraser’s explanation that he has no concerns about the credibility of Mr Gauci are in the public domain.

Justice

Colin Fox (Lothians) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of comments made by the former Lord Advocate, Lord Fraser of Carmyllie, about the reliability of key prosecution witness, Mr Tony Gauci, it still considers that a safe conviction was reached in the Lockerbie bombing case.

Colin Boyd QC: Lord Fraser of Carmyllie has publicly criticised the reporting of his views of the Lockerbie trial and in particular the evidence of Tony Gauci whom the trial court, having heard all the evidence in the trial, found to be credible and reliable. He has made it clear that he has no concerns about the credibility of Tony Gauci or the basis on which Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi was convicted of the murder of 270 people in the Lockerbie bombing.

Justice

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the report by the Expert Group on Corporate Liability for Corporate Homicide.

Cathy Jamieson: I have today published the report of the Expert Group on Corporate Homicide. I am very grateful to the members of the group - including Ms Gillon - for their hard work on this complex issue. They have produced a thorough report and have come up with innovative and radical proposals.

  The Executive now needs to consider the practicalities surrounding their recommendations - including issues of legislative competence - before determining the next steps.

Legal Aid

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the biggest single payment is in respect of legal aid that has not been recouped.

Hugh Henry: For the period from January 1999 until 8 November 2005, the biggest single payment in respect of legal aid that has not been recouped was £131,880.83 on 28 July 2004 in the case of Philip King v Bristow Helicopters .

Meat Industry

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-19552 by Lewis Macdonald on 27 October 2005, whether the approved countries and the countries designated BSE-free are obliged to have controls to ensure that cattle feed used in those countries is free from Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease prions.

Lewis Macdonald: The Food Standards Agency advises me that Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease prions can only be present in humans.

  I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-20315 on 16 November 2005 for more information. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

NHS Funding

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total amount of capital charges paid by NHS boards (a) is in the current year and (b) has been in each of the last five years, broken down by hospital.

Mr Andy Kerr: (a) The total amount of capital charges paid by NHS boards in each of the last five years is:

  

 
2000-01(£000)
2001-02(£000)
2002-03(£000)
2003-04(£000)
2004-05(£000)


 Argyll and Clyde
 26,213
 26,179
 25,276
 19,856
 23,634


 Ayrshire and Arran
 20,157
 20,411
 19,681
 15,205
 21,913


 Borders
 6,595
 6,375
 5,704
 4,652
 6,011


 Dumfries and Galloway
 9,064
 7,304
 7,703
 5,951
 5,772


 Fife
 16,915
 16,709
 15,762
 13,882
 16,905


 Forth Valley
 14,961
 14,491
 13,953
 10,249
 12,130


 Grampian
 33,961
 34,492
 34,392
 25,290
 25,675


 Greater Glasgow
 60,697
 61,279
 63,870
 49,574
 58,969


 Highland
 13,870
 13,949
 14,006
 11,362
 11,400


 Lanarkshire
 22,236
 20,095
 18,464
 14,350
 18,826


 Lothian
 42,192
 42,124
 40,878
 32,802
 36,402


 Orkney
 1,321
 1,515
 1,513
 1,190
 1,163


 Shetland
 1,901
 2,126
 2,058
 1,711
 2,029


 Tayside
 44,851
 38,462
 33,015
 23,974
 23,610


 Western Isles
 3,938
 4,393
 4,547
 3,487
 3,712


 State Hospital
 2,772
 2,855
 3,013
 2,696
 2,598


 National Waiting Times Centre Board
 -
 -
 4,614
 7,397
 6,706


 
 321,644
 312,759
 308,449
 243,628
 277,455



  The boards’ capital charges are taken from the published annual accounts of the relevant NHS boards and trusts for each respective financial year.

  Capital charges are made up of two elements:

  depreciation - the amount provided during the year for all tangible and intangible fixed assets, and

  cost of capital - the interest charge applying to the relevant net assets of the NHS board which is currently 3.5%.

  In 2003-04, the cost of capital reduced from 6% to 3.5% of relevant net assets.

  (b) The total amount of capital charges attributable to each hospital in each of the last five years is:

  The information is given in table 1 of "NHS Capital Charges 2000-05" a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 38049).

  The figures for capital charges are taken from Scottish Financial Return (SFR) 5.2, which is completed by each hospital and submitted to the NHS National Service Scotland Information and Statistics Division for publication in the Cost Book.

  The 2004-05 are provisional figures and have not yet been finalised.

NHS Hospitals

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) location and (b) capacity is of each completed private finance initiative hospital project; what the cost was of each such project, and what the (i) location, (ii) planned capacity and (iii) expected cost is of each planned project.

Mr Andy Kerr: PFI is an additional source of funding which contributes substantially to capital investment in NHSScotland. It makes more of resources available, giving immediate access to significant sums and delivering new services more quickly than would be possible with a publicly funded capital programme alone.

  Improved value for money is achieved by risk allocation, competition and innovation and the inclusion in some cases of services such as portering and cleaning allows the NHS body to focus on its core business of providing health care. A high standard of building maintenance throughout the life of the contract ensures that the facilities are handed on to the NHS in an excellent condition.

  The following table provides the information requested in respect of completed private finance initiative hospital projects:

  

 Project and Location
 NHS Board
 Capacity
 Capital Value


 Larkfield Geriatric and young disabled assessment facility
 NHS Argyll and Clyde
 118 beds
 10.0m


 East Ayrshire Community Hospital, Cumnock
 NHS Ayrshire and Arran
 98 beds
 8.6m


 Saltcoats Health Centre, provision of frail elderly and elderly mental illness care
 NHS Ayrshire and Arran
 90 beds
 2.5m


 Day case and Maternity services, Dumfries
 NHS Dumfries and Galloway
 28 beds,  11 cots,
 10.0m


 Kincardine Community Hospital, Stonehaven
 NHS Grampian
 49beds
 3.8m


 Provision of geriatric medicine and assessment facility at Southern General Hospital, Glasgow
 NHS Glasgow
 210 beds 
 11.0m


 Mearnskirk, new care of the elderly building at Southern General Hospital, Glasgow
 NHS Greater Glasgow
 72 beds
 2.4m


 Easter Ross County Community Hospital, Invergorden
 NHS Highland
 44 beds
 8.8m


 New Craigs Hospital, Inverness
 NHS Highland
 234 beds
 16.5m


 Hairmyers District General Hospital
 NHS Lanarkshire
 364 beds
 68.0m


 Wishaw District General Hospital
 NHS Lanarkshire
 633 beds
 100.0m


 Stonehouse Hospital
 NHS Lanarkshire
 40 beds
 3.9m


 New Edinburgh Royal Infirmary 
 NHS Lothian
 812 beds
 180.0m


 Reprovision of care of the elderly services, Tippethill Hospital, West Lothian
 NHS Lothian
 60 beds
 2.3m


 Forfar and Kirriemuir Community Resource Centre, Forfar
 NHS Tayside
 60beds
 22.5m


 Carseview Psychiatric Unit, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee
 NHS Tayside
 84 beds
 10.0m



  The clinical models for hospital projects in development have not yet been finalised so final bed numbers are not yet known. However, details of the location and cost are shown in the following table:

  

 Project and Location
 NHS Board
 Capital Value


 Mid Argyll Hospital, Lochgilphead
 NHS Argyll and Clyde
 19.2m


 Crosshouse Maternity Services
 NHS Ayrshire and Arran
 20.0m


 St Andrews Community Resource Project
 NHS Fife
 20.0m


Fife General Hospital and Maternity Services,Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy
 NHS Fife
 114.5m


 Clackmannan Community Health Services - Alloa Health Centre
 NHS Forth Valley
 19.0m


 New Forth Valley acute hospital, Larbert
 NHS Forth Valley
 269.5m


 Local Forensic Unit, Stobhill, Glasgow
 NHS Greater Glasgow
 17.9m


 Psychiatric Hospital, Gartnavel, Glasgow
 NHS Greater Glasgow
 19.5m


 Ambulatory Care Centres at Stobhill and Victoria Infirmary, Glasgow
 NHS Greater Glasgow
 124.0m


 Royal Edinburgh Hospital
 NHS Lothian
 65.0m

Planning

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that the design of new housing will be more pedestrian-friendly.

Johann Lamont: My department has commissioned research into the urban design aspects of new residential streets, and into the associated process of road construction consent. The objective is to demonstrate that new residential areas can be designed with the needs of people uppermost and with reduced car dominance. The results of the research are twofold: a Planning Advice Note 76 New Residential Streets was published on 7 November, and the report of the research on Road Construction Consent was published on the Scottish Executive website on the same day. My officials conducted three presentations to stakeholders round Scotland in October, and are opening a debate on the way forward with local authority Heads of Planning and Chief Officers of Transportation.

Police

Margaret Mitchell (Central Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 has had on recruitment within the police.

Cathy Jamieson: Both serving police officers and applicants to joint the police service are protected by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Scotland’s Chief Constables have a clear responsibility for ensuring that their recruitment policies and employment practices are consistent with the terms of the act.

Renewable Energy

Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will make an announcement on the proposal to increase the generating capacity of the existing wind-powered generating station at Causeymire in Caithness.

Allan Wilson: I can announce that the Scottish ministers have granted consent for this proposal in terms of section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989. This will increase capacity at the wind farm to 55.2 Megawatts.

  This announcement follows a lengthy consultation process which involved environmental groups, government bodies and members of the public. Conditions were attached to this consent to safeguard local and environmental interests.

Renewable Energy

Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make an announcement on the proposal to build a three megawatt hydro-powered generating station at Douglas Water, near Inveraray.

Allan Wilson: I can announce that the Scottish ministers have granted consent to this proposal in terms of section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989. Additionally, this consent carries deemed planning permission in terms of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997

  This announcement follows a lengthy consultation process which involved environmental groups, government bodies and members of the public. Following consultation with Argyll and Bute Council, conditions were attached to this consent to safeguard local and environmental interests.

Road Accidents

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which sections of the A701 have accident statistics that are above the Scottish average.

Tavish Scott: The review of accidents for the period January 2002 to December 2004 show that three of the four sections on the A701 Dumfries to Beattock trunk road have accident statistics that are above the Scottish average. These are:

  1. Edinburgh Road Roundabout, Dumfries to Catherinefield Junction, Locharbriggs

  2. Catherinefield Junction, Locharbriggs to Chapelhill Junction, St Ann’s

  3. Chapelhill Junction, St Ann’s to B7076 Junction, south of Beattock.

Roads

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the possible delay and associated costs if the Murtle option for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route is selected and the Camphill communities follow their legal advice which indicates there may be a human rights issue that the community could pursue to European Court level.

Tavish Scott: The potential for legal challenge exists on all options under consideration. The implications of this have been assessed and will be taken into account in deciding on the preferred route.

Roads

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-18253 by Tavish Scott on 18 August 2005, whether there are any extra costs in addition to the estimated £22.24 million for the improvements to the Auchenkilns roundabout that have to be met by the contractor for the project and, if so, what these extra costs are.

Tavish Scott: I understand that there will be extra costs which will be met by the contractor and his supply chain. The amount of these costs is not known to the Scottish Executive.

Roads

Euan Robson (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it inspects the cutting of road verges’ vegetation, including grass, on the A68, A7 and A1 and, if so, when such inspection has taken place on each road in the last six months.

Tavish Scott: The Performance Audit Group inspects the cutting of road verges’ vegetation, including grass, on the A68, A7 and A1 trunk roads on behalf of the Scottish Executive.

  The following table shows the dates when inspections were carried out on each road in the last six months.

  

 Route/Month
 May
 June
 July
 August
 September
 October


 A1
 16,23,30
 8,16,23
 1,7,14,21
 9,24,30
 8,21,28
 26


 A68
 5,18,19,24,31
 2,6,7,14,17,27,28
 4,5,13,19,27
 1,29,31
 6,13,22,27
 5,10,13


 A7
 18
 7,17,27
 4,13,19
 31
 22
 5,13



  Note: It should be noted that a road inspection may not cover the length of an entire route.

Roads

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will reconsider its earlier refusal, as reported to me, to classify the Inverness Southern Distributor Road as part of the trunk road network and whether it will confirm its support for an Inverness city bypass, connecting the A82 from the west, the A9 from the south and the A96 from the east.

Tavish Scott: While Scottish ministers keep the strategic road network under review, there are no current plans to classify the Inverness Southern Distributor Road as part of the trunk road network.

  The Inverness Southern Distributor Road is a local road and therefore the responsibility of Highland Council. The Executive has indicated its support to Highland Council in respect of their proposed transport modelling appraisal of the corridor between the A82 and A9 and on to the A96.

School Meals

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it gives to local authorities on how to encourage pupils who are entitled to free school meals to register for them.

Peter Peacock: A leaflet entitled Do you know what’s happening to school lunches? , was produced by the Executive and distributed to all primary pupils in September 2004, and to pupils starting primary school in September 2005. The leaflet sets out the improvements to the quality of food and the dining environment which parents can expect as a result of Hungry for Success. It also includes guidance on free school meal eligibility to ensure that all eligible families are aware of the free school meal scheme and have the information they need to register. Copies of the leaflet are available on the Executive’s website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Education/School-Education/18922/19348

  In addition, the Executive and the Health Promoting Schools Unit support the efforts of schools and local authorities to increase uptake of free and paid for school meals, through providing guidance and by promoting the sharing of good practice, through recent events such as the "Hungry for Success – The Next Steps" regional seminars.

School Meals

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has undertaken or plans to undertake research into the reasons for differences between entitlement to, registration for and actual uptake of free school meals across local authorities.

Peter Peacock: In August 2002, the Executive commissioned qualitative research to gather the views of primary and secondary pupils on various aspects of school meals, to support the work of the Expert Panel on School Meals. The study was carried out by NFO Social Research. The research found that:

  "In schools where anonymity of free school meals was ensured, there was little evidence to suggest that the reasons for not taking school meals differed between those who are entitled to free school meals and those who have to pay for their meal. Issues such as choice and quality of food and the dining environment were important to all pupils, irrespectively of free school meal entitlement. Indeed, such issues may be more salient for those who are entitled to free school meals, given their more limited scope for opting for alternative provision."

  Hungry for Success requires local authorities to take action to improve uptake, for example by improving the choice and quality of food, promoting healthy eating in the classroom and dining room, reducing the amount of time spent queuing and making the dining environment attractive. In addition, schools and local authorities must minimise any stigma associated with receipt of free school meals, by implementing systems to maximise anonymity.

Sex Offenders

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of the crimes and offences of which people on the sex offenders register have been convicted.

Cathy Jamieson: Information on sex offenders, including their criminal convictions, is held on the Scottish Criminal Record Office’s Criminal History System. Access to this information is restricted to law enforcement agencies.

Tourism

Alex Fergusson (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive why the free advertising of contact details for Visitscotland.com, which is contained within almost every document produced by VisitScotland, does not breach European State Aid rules.

Patricia Ferguson: The visitscotland.com website - the website for VisitScotland - provides a range of information on visiting Scotland and the reference to the website in VisitScotland publications is in line with standard practice for both commercial and non-commercial organisations in providing details of how to find more information. As such, there are no state aid issues.

Traffic

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive under what circumstances a traffic survey is carried out at a specific location or locations on a trunk road.

Tavish Scott: Traffic surveys may be carried out as part of the design for a specific scheme or to determine if certain improvements are required on the network, for example, to improve road safety.

Traffic

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to address congestion on the Kingston Bridge and Clyde Tunnel in Glasgow.

Tavish Scott: A number of initiatives have been implemented to address congestion on the M8 through Glasgow in recent years. These include ramp metering at junction 16 to allow smoother merging and improved traffic throughput; journey time information panels on eastern approaches to Glasgow on the M8 and M80, to allow drivers to take local diversion routes if appropriate; active queue management on gantries, and new Incident Support Units, introduced by AMEY, which help to tackle congestion by getting to and clearing incidents and hazards quickly.

  Measures to tackle congestion on the local road network, including the Clyde Tunnel, are a matter for Glasgow City Council.

Traffic

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its latest calculations are of the annual cost to businesses of congestion on the Kingston Bridge and in the Clyde Tunnel.

Tavish Scott: We have not made any calculation of these costs.

Waste Management

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in the context of developing a sustainable strategy for sewage treatment and disposal in Scotland, it has considered the Swedish experience of the disposal of sewage sludge to land.

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what alternative means of disposal of treated sewage materials are being considered, given the Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s restriction on the tonnage of sewage sludge which may be applied to lands as an activity exempt from a waste management licence.

Ross Finnie: Scottish Water and, where relevant, its contractors, are responsible for sewage treatment and disposal in Scotland, within the regulatory framework applicable to these activities. Scottish Water is therefore responsible for the development of a strategy. I understand that it is currently working on such a revised sludge strategy.

Waste Management

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether treated sewage disposed of to agricultural land is tested for the presence of bromide flame retardants and, if so, what safety limit has been set for the concentration of such chemicals in the soil.

Ross Finnie: While testing for brominated flame retardants is not specifically required by the Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations 1989, as amended, it is the duty of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency under the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994, again as amended, to ensure that waste management is carried out without danger to human health or harm to the environment. It is for that body to assess, on a case-by-case basis, what the risks of any individual proposal are and what safety limits and testing requirements should therefore be set, in addition to those in the 1989 Regulations.

Waste Management

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the requirements for the testing of soils on agricultural land after the spreading of sewage-derived materials.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive consulted on possible changes to the requirements for the tasking of the use of sludge on agricultural land in 2002 linked to the possibility of placing the Safe Sludge Matrix on a statutory basis. There are no plans for any further reviews at the present time.

Water Services

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Scottish Water regarding investment in a long-term sustainable solution for the treatment and disposal of sewage.

Rhona Brankin: Scottish Water is working with a range of stakeholders, including the Executive, to develop a sludge strategy. The objective of this strategy is to identify long-term sustainable solutions to the treatment and disposal of sewage.

Water Services

Mr Charlie Gordon (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give an assurance that Scottish Water’s Quality and Standards III investment programme will have sufficient resources and capacity to remove development constraints on all affected sites in Scotland.

Rhona Brankin: This assurance was given to the Scottish Parliament by Lewis Macdonald on 9 February when he confirmed that Scottish Water would be required to remove constraints on development caused by a lack of capacity at a strategic level. But removal of development constraints is not simply the responsibility of Scottish Water as developers, local authorities and others also have a role to play.